The Royal Elite: Mattias (21 page)

Later, once he was alone with Ahsan, Chayton and Leander, Mattias could divulge Franklin's confessions. The topic of using Alannah to lure the Royal Elite into the open wasn't one he wanted to discuss in her company.

It was still dark when the gates opened at House Morano, allowing entrance. Ahsan pulled up to the front near the steps instead of toward the garage, and shut the vehicle down after switching off the headlights.

Mattias exited along with everyone else, coming around behind the SUV to Alannah's door.

“You three go on, we'll catch up,” Mattias said to his brethren.

“Make it quick,” Ahsan said, glancing back. “Her father's here.”

Mattias cursed under his breath at the same time Alannah gasped with surprise.

“He's
here
?” she asked.

“Thanks for the forewarning,” Mattias said, shooting Ahsan a look that promised retribution. He could have said something during the long drive.

“Yes, he arrived via private jet, and he's anxious to see you,” Ahsan said to Alannah. To Mattias, he merely winked before following Chayton and Leander inside.

Dragging a hand through his hair, Mattias turned his attention to Alannah. He'd hoped for more than a few minutes to talk.

“Maybe we can meet up in the morning, after breakfast,” he said, holding her gaze.

“I don't know what his plans are, but that sounds like a good idea to me.” She paused, then said, “I think you owe me an explanation.”

Mattias knew what she meant. Knew it was coming. “You're here, I'm here, and everyone is safe. That's what matters.”

“It's not
all
that matters, though. I need answers.” As if she was cold, she folded her arms around her body.

“Answers I cannot give.” Just like the last time.

“How can you say that when your friends there have shown up at the most critical times? Don't you think I can put two and two together?”

Mattias said nothing.

“Well?” she asked, a demanding note entering her voice.

“As I said, perhaps we can meet up in the morning.” This wasn't how he wanted their conversation to go. If he was honest with himself, a conversation about his friends wasn't high on his list of priorities in the first place. Yes, he wanted and needed to question her about what happened at Franklin Carr's estate, but in this moment, he simply wanted to retreat to his suite or hers and spend the next few hours discovering her with his hands and his mouth. To finally give in to the desire he knew they were both feeling.

“So, I don't get anything.”

“I'm sorry, Alannah. I've said before—this isn't something I will discuss in depth.” Mattias was genuinely sorry he couldn't confide in her. At the same time, he knew if he did, that he was just putting himself, the other members, and most of all Alannah in greater danger. Especially now, after Franklin's attempt to discover all the members of the group. It meant that other people in the shadows were probably talking about them, too, and who knew whether a scheming member of society would take offense again at the actions of Mattias and his brethren. All it would take was for someone to suspect she knew anything for this situation to repeat itself.

“I don't know why you're so stubborn about it. Not after I've seen what I've seen, and I know what I know. All you have to--” Alannah's reply trailed to an unfinished end when the front doors opened and several men strode out.

“Alannah! Thank God you're all right. Prince Afshar said you were here.” Dean Astbury, a tall man with a linebacker's build and hair the same color as his daughter, trotted down the steps in her direction.

Mattias took note of the vague resemblance as Alannah, who reluctantly turned away from him, faced her father for a quick embrace.

“Everything's fine, really. I didn't expect you to be here,” she said when she released him.

“Where else would I be after getting a phone call that you'd been abducted?” Dean said. Then, he extended a hand to Mattias. “I hear you had everything to do with her rescue, so for that, I thank you.”

Mattias shook Astbury's hand. “With help, yes. You're both welcome.”

“I can't fathom the reason
you're
the one standing here and not some random guard,” Astbury said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “But the details will have to wait. Our plane leaves in forty minutes.”

Mattias, using the time crunch to avoid answering the question of why he aided Alannah instead of someone else, said, “A quick turn around, hm? You're not inclined to remain a day or two?”

“I'm not ready to leave yet,” Alannah said at the same time.

Mattias traded a knowing look with her. There was unfinished business between them.

“I'm sorry, Alannah, but I have to get back now that you're safe,” Dean said.

“So send the plane for me in a few days.”

“I'll be flying off and on for the next week, which requires constant use of the aircraft. I'm surprised you would want to linger here anyway after what happened and, I'll tell you now, I prefer you to be closer to home until we find out what this was all about. Until I can be sure this won't happen again. It's harder for me to protect you half way around the world.” Dean glanced toward headlights that flashed on the drive. A sleek, black limousine cruised to a stop near the SUV.

“All right, yes, I understand. Give me a few minutes to say goodbye to Prince Mattias,” Alannah said.

After Dean and his entourage retreated inside, Mattias returned his attention to Alannah. “I don't suspect you'll have any trouble from here on out. Cleary will retreat now that the heat is on, and I'm sure your father will apply pressure in his own way.”

Alannah crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, all signs Mattias had become familiar with over the last several days.

“Perhaps if I contact you next week, when things have calmed down and father has his assurances, you and I can revisit this discussion,” she said.

“I'm happy to talk about many things with you. But not
this.
” Mattias ignored the dismay and disappointment on Alannah's features. He could lie, yes, and lead her to believe that he might spill all his truths. The reality of it was that he
wouldn't,
which would only lead to hard feelings and resentment. Better to be straight right from the start.

“Even to smooth things over with us? Are you so bent on keeping your secrets that you'll just walk away from it all?” she asked, pressing the issue.

Mattias hesitated. For a moment he considered leaving the Royal Elite. Giving up his position within the group so that he might go on to live a more normal life. He envisioned the next year with Alannah, attending balls and galas and going on dates like other men did.

His sense of propriety and loyalty won out. The Royal Elite was in his blood,
had
been in his blood for longer than he cared to remember. Giving it up meant giving up on helping people who sometimes could not help themselves, though, in his soul, he admitted that he wasn't ready to give up the rush and the thrill, either. He thrived on the mystery, the puzzles, the adrenaline.

Love was not guaranteed with Alannah. They might date for a few months, a few years, and wind up apart. This was still the beginning between them, too new to put a name on.

“I think your silence is answer enough,” Alannah said after searching his eyes. “I
do
appreciate your help, Prince Mattias.”

Mattias watched Alannah walk away. As strong as the urge was to go after her, the urge to remain in the Elite was stronger. If only she would relent and choose to accept him and leave his secrets alone. Alannah
could
have it all, he reminded himself.

She simply chose not to.

Mattias pulled a long drink of scotch from his glass. Staring out the window over the grounds at House Morano, he surveyed the sun dappled landscape still damp from the recent downpours. How fresh and green it all looked, from the hedges to the grass to the ferns in pots lining a low wall.

“I said, do you think Franklin will be a problem?” Ahsan asked again.

Brought back to the present, Mattias twisted his shoulders to see Ahsan, Chayton and Leander. The men sat in chairs around a table in various stages of repose. Mattias's suite had been turned into a temporary conference room. After the Astbury's departure, they had all confronted Cleary about Franklin and learned the truth from Cleary's own mouth. Blackmail was the culprit, as Mattias suspected, although that didn't get Cleary off the hook. The men spent considerable time questioning Cleary to make sure they weren't missing a link somewhere. That someone else hadn't been blackmailed to be a distraction—or worse—as well. Cleary insisted he knew nothing more, and that the men were reading too much into things about the supposed 'hit man' Mattias had followed back to his room. He was just a guest, Cleary repeated, not someone he'd hired to take a shot at Alannah. There was no way to tell if Cleary was lying, considering the hit man had vanished and was unavailable for questioning.

Answering Ahsan, Mattias said, “I don't know, honestly. I laid on Franklin pretty hard, but there's no way to tell if he'll come at us again once he's recovered.”

“Or have someone else come at us,” Leander said.

“Yes.” Mattias agreed that Franklin might resort to hiring someone more discreet, spend more time and money to find out the list of members of the Royal Elite. The threats Mattias expended should be enough to keep Franklin quiet for a while.
Should be.

“I don't like having to look over my shoulder, but there's not much else we can do. We'll have to be extra careful with the next few situations that come up,” Ahsan said.

“We look over our shoulder to a certain extent anyway,” Chayton added. “But I agree. A fourth degree of caution won't hurt.”

“Hey, at least we know we're causing a ripple out there. If we weren't effective, no one would notice a thing.” Ahsan picked up his glass for a drink.

“So effective someone wanted a list of our names. It begs the question—just what, exactly, would Franklin have done if he'd rounded us all up?” Leander asked. He popped a piece of ice in his mouth and chewed.

“That's the million dollar question.” Mattias had contemplated the same thing. He toasted Leander and had a swallow of his drink.

“We could always pay Franklin another visit,” Ahsan said.

“I'm sure we could...coerce him to divulge a little more information.” Chayton's blatant pause at 'coerce' drew a smirk from both Ahsan and Leander.

“That may not be a bad idea if things start to become weird,” Mattias added.

“We know where he lives. The first sign he's trying to start trouble, we'll drop in and have a little chat,” Leander said, matter of fact.

“If it's any time soon, you'll have to go without me,” Mattias said. A phone call home this morning assured Mattias that his brother, Sander, was recovering from a devastating injury but coherent and in control. Leander had been indispensable on his return visit to Latvala, coming to Sander's aid before returning to help extract Mattias from Franklin's lair. Regardless, Mattias needed to return to Latvala immediately, and was even then awaiting the arrival of their private jet.

“By the way, I never did hear,” Leander said then. “How much does Miss Astbury know?”

Mattias turned to look out the window again. “Only what she saw, and what she suspects. I told her nothing about the Royal Elite.”

“What does she suspect, exactly?” Leander asked.

“She knows I'm proficient with a weapon, and saw Chayton and Ahsan when they assisted both on the road and later at Franklin's estate. She suspected something deeper, but hadn't put it together. Not the whole thing,” Mattias replied.

“That's pretty borderline as far as knowledge goes,” Leander said.

“It's more than some people know, and also less. Some of those we save see too much because that's the job. We can't be invisible all the time.” Mattias set his glass down and slid his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

“Do you think it'll be a problem?” Ahsan asked next.

“No. She's nosy, and she pressured me, but that was for other reasons.” Mattias didn't dance around the subject of their mutual interest. Ahsan, Chayton and Leander knew him too well, anyway.

“Yes, the doe eyes and temper tantrums.” Leander, as ever, aptly put things into perspective.

Mattias shot Leander a wry look. “Would you respect her if she simpered and ignored what was right in front of her face? She has questions, valid ones. Ones I'm just not inclined to answer, that's all.”

“I'm not enamored of simpering women, no,” Leander said.

“Speaking of Miss Astbury, what's the latest news?” Mattias asked, diverting the conversation.

“They're en route to Australia, with a few stops in between. Should arrive sometime later this afternoon,” Chayton replied.

“Excellent. She'll be safe in Dean's care.” Mattias leaned a shoulder against the window sill.

“Astbury probably won't let her out of his sight again until she's sixty,” Ahsan joked.

Chayton and Leander rumbled laughter. A moment later, Leander pushed up from the seat. “Well. As much fun as this is, I've got things to do. Let me know when we're leaving for Latvala,” he said.

Ahsan and Chayton rose from their seats.

“I will. If there is any other fallout, let me know,” Mattias said.

The door closed behind the trio. Relieved to be alone, Mattias's thoughts returned to Alannah. After parting ways in the driveway last evening, he'd brooded for the rest of the night, arguing for and against several courses of action. One was to get on a plane bound for Australia despite his belief that she wouldn't accept him the way he was. Secrets and all. The other was to return home, as he knew he must, and make sure everything was settled. He trusted when Sander told him he had it under control, but Mattias wouldn't rest until he saw it with his own two eyes.

It was probably for the best, the way it worked out. She was likely still angry as hell at him for refusing to divulge what he knew, which meant more friction and arguments and the waspish edge of her tongue. That was if she didn't shut him out completely after flying half way around the world to see her. In the end, nothing had changed.
He
hadn't changed, and that was the problem.